Road-bed



J. PLATTEN.

(No Model.)

ROAD BED.

Ill

PatentedOct. 3, 1893.

/NVENTUl- W/ TNE SSE S Anon/vers.

' UNITED ASTATES .PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PLATTEN,` OF FORT HOWARD, WISCONSIN.

ROAD-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,071, dated October 3, 1893.

Application led October 28, 1892. Serial No.450,214. (No model.)

.To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN PLATTEN, of Fort Howard, in the county of Brown and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Road-Beds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of highways and roads and particularly to those provided for the travel of wagons, and that are composed mainly of earth or gravel; the object being to provide simple and efficient means for the retention of the material composing the road bed and prevention of its lateral displacement, and aitord a solid foundation, so that the impact of travel on the road will serve to thoroughly compact it, and render the bed more solid and durable.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to 'the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both of the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a road bed with the surface partly broken away, to show the features of improvement; and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a series of pieces of plank or timbers, that are proportioned in length to suit the desired width of the road bed, and have sufficient width and thickness to insure stability. Any suitable wood may be used for the formation of the.planks or timbers A, which are laid transversely upon the level surface of a pre-` pared bed, the road being excavated a proper depth to provide for such a foundation.

The planks or timbers A, are spaced a suitable distance apart, and where the conformation of the road will permit, they are laid with their edges, asnear as their shape will permit, parallel.

Upon the transverse pieces A, longitudinal timbers B are secured by any suitable means, spikes or wooden pins being adapted for the purpose.

, Any preferred number of timber rows may be located upon the pieces A, substantially at right angles thereto, the timbers being of a proper size in cross section to afford strength, and by preference the series of timbers in a row or line are abutted endwise, so as to produce intercellular spaces with the planks A, l

said cavities C, serving as receptacles for road material D.

The crib frame formed of the transverse planking A and longitudinal timbers B, is located at such a depth as will allow a proper amount of ballast material to be placed upon it, such material consisting of earth, gravel, broken stone or any preferred mixture of the same, either being employed that is most available for the purpose or convenient t0 furnish.

When the material D composingthe road bed proper is placed on the crib frame, it will be of advantage to compact it as it is 'thrown into the cavities C, by ramming or other equivalent means, and this should be continued until the road bed is completed, a proper slope being given to the imposed material from the center of the road, to adapt it to discharge rain or melting snow water toward each side of the road bed.

It will be seen that if the material used is adapted for the purpose, and the filling in of the crib frame properly performed, a substantial and comparatively inexpensive roadbed will be produced, as the crib frame serves to retain the imposed ballast material from lateral displacement, and the travel of vehicles over the road will compact the ma'terial composing it.

The timbers and planks comprising the crib frame"may be treated with any cheap preservativefrom decay, and as the wood is entirely embedded in the earth its preservation from rot"for a considerable period of time will be effected.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A road way having a crib formed of transverse parallel planking andv parallel longitudinal stringers B secured on top of the planking and a filling D of loose earth, gravel or broken stone forming the road bed and completely concealing the crib said filling being compacted between the parallel planking and between the stringers; whereby the said crib will retain the bed from lateral displacement, substantially as set forth.

JOHN PLATTEN.

Witnesses:

FRED PIRoN, THEO. LEICHT.

So d 

